Joseph Belbruno Blog

  Iran’s Massacres Will Haunt the Regime | Journal of Democracy Iran’s hardline government responded to nationwide protests with horrific violence, killing thousands of Iranians in a matter of days. There is nothing the regime can offer its people to regain their support. January 2026 E arlier this month, Iranian authorities killed  thousands  of protesters, potentially  tens of thousands  — most of them over the course of just two days, January 8–9. These massacres, aimed at putting down nationwide protests that had begun on December 28, will likely haunt the regime for its foreseeable future. By further delegitimizing the system in the eyes of an already disaffected populace, the deadly repression will make it even more difficult for the regime to win back public support through reforms or concessions. Moreover, it could further fuel the popularity of exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, who positioned himself as a leader of the opposition during the protests. From Rep...

  Any attempt at regime change is likely to repeat past mistakes Air power, full-on invasion, arming the opposition: the result is usually the same, writes Philip Gordon illustration: dan williams Your browser does not support the <audio> element. L istening to president donald trump  promise the Iranian people that “the hour of your freedom is at hand”, Americans and others around the world could be forgiven for feeling they were watching a film they had seen before. In calling on Iranians to “take over your government” and evoking a “prosperous and glorious future”, Mr Trump was following in the footsteps of many of his predecessors, who had also succumbed to the temptation of believing that American military power could be deployed to remove a contemptible and threatening Middle Eastern regime and replace it with something better. In almost all cases the reasons for wanting to remove the offending regime are compelling. But past regime-change operations in the region ...

  An Urgent Need to Contain Turkey By Bradley Martin While neutralizing the regional threat posed by Iran, the U.S. and Israel must ensure that Turkey doesn’t take its place. After the Iraq war, Iran exploited the power vacuum left by Saddam Hussein. It sent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terrorists to train Shiite jihadist groups across the border to embroil the U.S. in a costly occupation while expanding Iran’s regional influence. “Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq,” President Trump said on Saturday. “The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lines.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the  U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as a “clear violation” of international law. Mr. Erdoğan also said he was “saddened” by the death of Iran’s former supreme leader Aya...

  As Trump Scrambles the World Order, Can Germany Learn the Language of Hard Power? In the wake of the U.S. bombing of Iran and its dismissal of European allies, an anxious continent’s best chance at security runs through its largest economy. Listen to this article · 19:01 min  Learn more 15 By  Elisabeth Zerofsky March 3, 2026 The standing ovation that followed  Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech  at the Munich Security Conference in February may have been more diplomatic gesture than sincere expression of appreciation. Despite public assertions from European leaders that they were reassured by Rubio’s conciliatory tone, private discussions were far more sober. After all, it had been only three weeks since President Trump backed down on his threat to take Greenland. For the Europeans, the prospect of a military strike against them by their most important ally had already marked a point of no return. Trump’s failure to meaningfully consult with the European...